Apparatus and method for charging and discharging a dual battery system

ABSTRACT

A dual battery charging and discharging system controls the configuration of multiple batteries arranged in multiple battery banks. The batteries within each bank are connected in series when powering an electrical load, such as a service motor, and are connected in parallel when charging. A microprocessor monitors the voltage levels of the batteries in each bank and controls relays to switch the electrical load over to a charged battery bank when the voltage level of the discharging battery bank drops below a minimum run threshold. The microprocessor also monitors the voltage levels of the charging battery bank and controls relays to cease charging when the voltage level rises above a minimum charge threshold. The batteries are charged by an alternator driven by a drive motor through a gear reduction system.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority as a continuation-in-part ofnonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 13/276,738, filed Oct. 19,2011, titled APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CHARGING AND DISCHARGING A DUALBATTERY SYSTEM, which claimed priority to provisional patent applicationSer. Nos. 61/394,439, filed Oct. 19, 2010, and 61/482,881, filed May 5,2011, both titled APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CHARGING AND DISCHARGING ADUAL BATTERY SYSTEM the entire contents of which are incorporated hereinby reference.

BACKGROUND

Although momentum is growing in the development and manufacture ofelectric vehicles, the success of such vehicles in everyday use willcontinue to be limited if there is no substantial improvement in theirrange of travel. Current battery technology used in electric vehicleslimits the range of the vehicles, thus requiring frequent stops forrecharging. Due to the time and effort required to recharge thebatteries of an electric vehicle and the limited driving distance ofsuch vehicles on a single charge, there is a need to extend the run timeof electric vehicle batteries and to use battery power more efficiently.

Some solutions have been proposed in recent years, but they are lackingfor various reasons. For example, US Patent Publication No.2010/0184560A1 describes a system that incorporates two battery bankswith a switching network that switches between the two banks foralternate charging and discharging. This system requires a separatedrive motor/alternator set for each bank of batteries, which means twodrive motor/alternator sets are needed to recharge the two batterybanks. This requirement is a significant disadvantage as it adds moreweight to the vehicle, and therefore decreases overall efficiency.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,734,645 describes an electric automobile that includesone or more free-turning wheels which each drive a generator via agearbox. The generator charges one of a pair of battery packs while theother non-charging battery pack powers an electric motor that turns apair of wheels through a differential. When the battery pack poweringthe electric motor nears depletion, a switching network switches in thegenerator to charge the depleted battery and switches in the chargedbattery to power the electric motor. Driving a generator through agearbox attached to a vehicle's wheel as described in this patent is aninefficient way to generate electrical power to recharge vehiclebatteries.

What is needed is a system for recharging one battery pack while anotherbattery pack powers the vehicle, which efficiently switches between thedepleted and charged battery packs, and which adds no unnecessary weightto the vehicle.

SUMMARY

The above and other needs are met by an apparatus for charging anddischarging batteries. The apparatus includes a first battery bankcomprising one or more batteries, a second battery bank comprising oneor more batteries, a service motor, a drive motor, a voltage source suchas an alternator that generates a charging voltage, and multipleswitches, such as relays, for selectively connecting and disconnectingthe service motor, drive motor, and voltage source to and from the firstbattery bank and second battery bank. The service motor, which receivespower from the first battery bank or the second battery bank, drives aload, such as the transmission of an electric vehicle. The drive motor,which also receives power from the first battery bank or the secondbattery bank, drives the voltage source to cause generation of thecharging voltage. The voltage source may be an alternator or agenerator.

In one embodiment, the switches include first switches, second switches,third switches, and fourth switches. The first switches selectivelyconnect or disconnect the first battery bank to or from the servicemotor, thereby providing power to or removing power from the servicemotor. The second switches selectively connect or disconnect the secondbattery bank to or from the service motor, thereby providing power to orremoving power from the service motor. The third switches selectivelyconnect or disconnect the first battery bank or the second battery bankto or from the drive motor, thereby providing power to or removing powerfrom the drive motor. The fourth switches selectively connect the firstbattery bank to the voltage source to receive the charging voltage andselectively disconnect the second battery bank from the voltage source.The fourth switches also selectively connect the second battery bank tothe voltage source to receive the charging voltage and selectivelydisconnect the first battery bank from the voltage source.

Some embodiments include a microcontroller that is operable to controlthe first, second, third and fourth switches. In some embodiments, themicrocontroller monitors the voltages of the batteries in the first andsecond battery banks, and controls the first, second, third and fourthswitches based on the voltages monitored.

In some embodiments, the first switches connect the batteries in thefirst battery bank in series when providing power to the service motoror the drive motor, the second switches connect the batteries in thesecond battery bank in series when providing power to the service motoror the drive motor, the fourth switches connect the batteries in thefirst battery bank in parallel when receiving the charging voltage fromthe voltage source, and the fourth switches also connect the batteriesin the second battery bank in parallel when receiving the chargingvoltage from the voltage source.

Some embodiments include a drive train that is mechanically coupledbetween the drive motor and the voltage source. The drive trainincreases the turning speed of the voltage source relative to theturning speed of the drive motor, preferably by at least a factor ofsix.

In another aspect, the invention provides a method for charging anddischarging a first battery bank and a second battery bank. The firstand second battery banks selectively provide power to a service motordriving a load, such as an electric motor of an electric vehicle. Thefirst and second battery banks also selectively provide power to a drivemotor driving a voltage source, such as an alternator, to causegeneration of a charging voltage. The first and second battery banksalso selectively receive the charging voltage from the voltage source. Apreferred embodiment of the method includes the following steps.

-   -   Connecting the first battery bank to the service motor to        provide power to the service motor.    -   Monitoring the voltage of the batteries of the first battery        bank.    -   After the voltage of the batteries of the first battery bank        drops to or below a first threshold voltage, disconnecting the        first battery bank from the service motor, connecting the second        battery bank to the service motor and the drive motor to provide        power to the service motor and the drive motor, connecting the        first battery bank to the voltage source to receive the charging        voltage, and charging the first battery bank.    -   After the voltage of the batteries of the first battery bank        reaches or rises above a second threshold voltage, disconnecting        the first battery bank from the voltage source.    -   Monitoring the voltage of the batteries of the second battery        bank.    -   After the voltage of the batteries of the second battery bank        drops to or below the first threshold voltage, disconnecting the        second battery bank from the service motor, connecting the first        battery bank to the service motor and the drive motor to provide        power to the service motor and drive motor, connecting the        second battery bank to the voltage source to receive the        charging voltage, and charging the second battery bank.    -   After the voltage of one or more of the batteries of the second        battery bank rises to or above the second threshold voltage,        disconnecting the second battery bank from the voltage source.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Advantages of the invention are apparent by reference to the detaileddescription in conjunction with the figures, wherein elements are not toscale so as to more clearly show the details, wherein like referencenumbers indicate like elements throughout the several views, andwherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a dual batterycharging and discharging system;

FIGS. 2A and 2B depict an embodiment of a charging voltage source of adual battery charging and discharging system;

FIG. 3 depicts a functional flow diagram of a process for operating adual battery charging and discharging system;

FIGS. 4A and 4B depict a wiring configuration for a microcontroller of adual battery charging and discharging system;

FIG. 5 depicts a wiring configuration of a relay logic circuit of a dualbattery charging and discharging system; and

FIGS. 6A and 6B depict a schematic diagram of a battery controller of adual battery charging and discharging system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As the term is used herein, “dual battery” refers to two banks ofbatteries that are alternately charged and discharged while providingpower to an electrical load. Generally, one bank of batteries is used topower the load while the other bank of batteries is being charged or ison standby after charging. Although a preferred embodiment uses twobanks of batteries in a charge-discharge rotation, other numbers ofbattery banks could be used in such a rotation. Thus, it will beappreciated that the invention is not limited to any particular numberof battery banks in the charge-discharge rotation.

As shown in FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of a dual batterycharging-discharging circuit 10 includes four 12 VDC batteries, B1, B2,B3, and B4. The batteries B1 and B2 comprise a first bank of batteries,and batteries B3 and B4 comprise a second bank of batteries. Whenbatteries B1 and B2 are discharging to power the load, they areconnected in series to provide 24 VDC. When batteries B1 and B2 arebeing charged, they are connected in parallel to a 12 VDC chargingvoltage source. Similarly, batteries B3 and B4 are connected in serieswhen discharging to power a 24 VDC load, and they are connected inparallel for charging at 12 VDC. Although a preferred embodiment usestwo batteries in each bank, other numbers of batteries in each bankcould be used. Thus, it will be appreciated that the invention is notlimited to any particular number of batteries in each bank.

In a preferred embodiment, connections to the two battery banks arerotated to alternately provide power to an electric service motor M1driving a mechanical load 20. For example, the service motor M1 may bein an electric vehicle and the mechanical load 20 is the drive train ofthe vehicle. Alternatively, the service motor M1 may be a trolling motoron a boat wherein the load 20 is the propeller of the trolling motor. Itshould be appreciated that the invention is not limited to anyparticular application of the service motor M1. In alternativeembodiments, the electrical load powered by the battery banks issomething other than a motor, such as electrical lights or otherelectrical devices in a vehicle or water craft or building or any othermobile or fixed structure. Thus, the invention is not limited to anyparticular type of electrical load being powered. The invention may alsobe used in various other applications, such as lawn mowers, airconditioners, all-terrain vehicles, and turbo-type devices for driving agenerator.

As shown in FIG. 1, the parallel or series configuration of thebatteries is determined by the states of relays RY1A, RY1B, RY2A, RY2B,RY3A, RY3B, RY3C, RY4A, RY4B, RY4C, RY5A, RY5B, RY5C and RY5D, which arecontrolled by a microcontroller 12. As described in more detail below,the microcontroller 12 controls the relay coils 18 based on voltagelevels measured at four nodes in the circuit 10. Preferably, thesevoltage levels are measured by voltage sensors connected toanalog-to-digital converters ADC1, ADC2, ADC3, and ADC4. Themicrocontroller 12 also controls a set of indicator lights 22 to provideinformation to an operator about the status of each bank of batteries.The microcontroller 12 is powered by battery B1 through diode D2 orbattery B3 through diode D1, depending on which bank of batteries isbeing discharged or charged at any particular time. Power to themicrocontroller 12 is controlled by a master switch SW1. Preferably,when the microcontroller 12 is in an OFF state, all relays are in anopen state.

The relays RY1A and RY1B are also referred to herein as first switches.The relays RY2A and RY2B are also referred to herein as second switches.The relays RY5A and RY5D are also referred to herein as third switches.The relays RY3A, RY3B, RY3C, RY4A, RY4B, RY4C, RY5B and RY5C are alsoreferred to herein as fourth switches.

Preferred embodiments of the circuit 10 include a drive motor M2 thatdrives a 12 VDC voltage source 16, such as an alternator, through agear-reduction drive train 14. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the drivemotor M2 is a 24 VDC motor powered by the series combination ofbatteries B1 and B2 or the series combination of batteries B3 and B4. Asshown in FIG. 1, the output of the alternator 16 may be connected acrossthe parallel bank of batteries B1 and B2 or across the parallel bank ofbatteries B3 and B4, depending on the state of the relays.

As shown in FIG. 2, the drive motor M2, the drive train 14 and thealternator 16 may be packaged in a housing 24 to provide aself-contained charging voltage source in the form of a power converter(24 VDC input to 12 VDC output). In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the drivetrain 14 includes a pair of belts 30 a and 30 b connected to a pulleypair 32 connected to a coupling shaft 26 and a set of bearings 28. Inone preferred embodiment, the gear ratio provided by the pulley pair 32is 6.22:1. In this embodiment, if the drive motor M2 is running at 750RPM, the alternator is turning at 4665 RPM. The drive motor M2 mayoperate at 24 VDC and pull 5-6 Amps to provide 0.25 HP. The alternator16 may provide 13.75-14.00 Amps when turning at 1000-2500 RPM.

As one skilled in the art will appreciate, many different combinationsof gear ratio and drive motor RPM may be implemented to spin thealternator 16 at an RPM sufficient to generate the desired output powerfrom the alternator 16. Preferably, the gear ratio and drive motor RPMcombination will provide an output power from the alternator 16sufficient to charge one bank of batteries up to a minimum chargevoltage before the other bank of batteries, which is driving the drivemotor M2 and the service motor M1, is discharged below a minimum runvoltage. The gear reduction in the drive train 14 is key to reducing theamount of current drawn by the drive motor M2 while driving thealternator 16. The reduced current pull from the drive motor M2, whilethe discharging battery bank is also running the service motor M1,results in the discharging battery bank lasting long enough to fullycharge the other battery bank.

It should also be appreciated that the drive train 14 may comprise agear set or other transmission means to achieve the desired gearreduction ratio. Thus, the invention is not limited to any particularmechanism for achieving gear reduction.

As depicted in FIG. 1, some embodiments include circuit breakers CB1-CB5to protect sensitive components of the circuit 10 from over-currentconditions. In one embodiment, circuit breaker CB2 is rated at 40 ampsand the other breakers are rated at 20 amps.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a process 100 for operating the circuit 10 isdescribed. Preferably, the process starts when the master switch SW1 isclosed (step 102), at which time the microcontroller 12 reads thebattery voltages of batteries B1 and B2 from ADC1 and ADC2 (step 104).If the voltages of batteries B1 and B2 are both above a minimum runvoltage threshold, such as 12.2 VDC (step 106), the microcontroller 12closes relays RY1A and RY1B to provide 24 VDC power to the service motorM1 from the series combination of batteries B1 and B2 (step 108), andthe microcontroller 12 continues monitoring the voltages of batteries B1and B2 (step 104). The microcontroller 12 also controls the indicatorlights 22 to turn on the “ON LOAD” light for Bank 1. When the voltage ofone or both of batteries B1 and B2 drops below the minimum run voltagethreshold (step 106), the microcontroller 12 controls the relays asfollows:

-   -   open relays RY1A and RY1B to disconnect the service motor M1        from the batteries B1 and B2 (step 110);    -   close relays RY3A, RY3B, RY3C, RY5B and RY5C to connect the        batteries B1 and B2 in parallel to the output of the alternator        16 to begin charging (step 112); and    -   close relays RY2A, RY2B, RY5A and RY5D to run the service motor        M1 and the drive motor M2 from the series combination of        batteries B3 and B4 (step 114).        The microcontroller 12 also controls the indicator lights 22 to        turn off the “ON LOAD” light and turn on the “CHARGING” light        for Bank 1.

The microcontroller 12 continues monitoring the voltages of batteries B1and B2 from ADC1 and ADC2 as those batteries are charging (step 116). Ifthe voltages of batteries B1 and B2 are both below a minimum chargevoltage threshold, such as 12.8 VDC (step 118), the microcontroller 12closes or maintains closure of relays RY3A, RY3B, RY3C, RY5B and RY5C tocontinue charging the parallel combination of batteries B1 and B2 (step112), and closes or maintains closure of relay RY5A and RY5D to continuerunning the drive motor M2 from the batteries B3 and B4. When both ofbatteries B1 and B2 have charged to above the minimum charge voltagethreshold (step 118), the microcontroller 12 controls the relays asfollows:

-   -   open relays RY3A, RY3B, RY3C, RY5B and RY5C to disconnect the        batteries B1 and B2 from the output of the alternator 16 (step        120); and    -   open relays RY5A and RY5D to disconnect the drive motor M2 from        the series combination of batteries B3 and B4 (step 122).        At this point, the service motor M1 is still being powered by        the series combination of batteries B3 and B4. The        microcontroller 12 also controls the indicator lights 22 to turn        off the “CHARGING” light and turn on the “CHARGED FULL” light        for Bank 1.

The microcontroller 12 is also monitoring the voltages of batteries B3and B4 from ADC3 and ADC4 (step 124). If the voltages of batteries B3and B4 are both above the minimum run voltage threshold, such as 12.2VDC (step 126), the microcontroller 12 closes or maintains closure ofrelays RY2A and RY2B to provide 24 VDC power to the service motor M1from the series combination of batteries B3 and B4 (step 128), and themicrocontroller 12 continues monitoring the voltages of batteries B3 andB4 (step 124). The microcontroller 12 also controls the indicator lights22 to turn on (or keep on) the “ON LOAD” light for Bank 2. When thevoltage of one or both of batteries B3 and B4 drops below the minimumrun voltage threshold (step 126), the microcontroller 12 controls therelays as follows:

-   -   open relays RY2A and RY2B to disconnect the service motor M1        from the batteries B3 and B4 (step 130);    -   close relays RY4A, RY4B, RY4C, RY5B and RY5C to connect the        batteries B3 and B4 in parallel to the output of the alternator        16 to begin charging (step 132); and    -   close relays RY1A, RY1B, RY5A and RY5D to run the service motor        M1 and the drive motor M2 from the series combination of        batteries B1 and B2 (step 134).        The microcontroller 12 also controls the indicator lights 22 to        turn off the “ON LOAD” light and turn on the “CHARGING” light        for Bank 2.

The microcontroller 12 continues monitoring the voltages of batteries B3and B4 from ADC3 and ADC4 (step 136). If the voltages of batteries B3and B4 are both below the minimum charge voltage threshold, such as 12.8VDC (step 138), the microcontroller 12 closes or maintains closure ofrelays RY4A, RY4B, RY4C, RY5B and RY5C to continue charging the parallelcombination of batteries B3 and B4 (step 132), and closes or maintainsclosure of relay RY5A and RY5D to continue running the drive motor M2from the series-connected batteries B1 and B2. When both of batteries B3and B4 have charged to above the minimum charge voltage threshold (step138), the microcontroller 12 controls the relays as follows:

-   -   open relays RY4A, RY4B, RY4C, RY5B and RY5C to disconnect the        batteries B3 and B4 from the output of the alternator 16 (step        140); and    -   open relays RY5A and RY5D to disconnect the drive motor M2 from        the series combination of batteries B1 and B2 (step 122).        At this point, the service motor M1 is still being powered by        the series combination of batteries B1 and B2, and the process        continues at step 104. The microcontroller 12 also controls the        indicator lights 22 to turn off the “CHARGING” light and turn on        the “CHARGED FULL” light for Bank 2.

In one embodiment of the invention which powers a golf cart, thefunctions of the drive motor M2 are performed by the service motor M1.In this embodiment, the drive train 14 is driven by a linkage from thegolf cart's transmission system (represented by the load 20 in FIG. 1).Thus, in this embodiment, there is no need for the drive motor M2 orrelays RY5A and RY5D.

It will be appreciated that the circuit 10 of FIG. 1 may also includecomponents for controlling the speed of the service motor M1 and/or thedrive motor M2. For example, if the service motor M1 is turning thedrive train of an electric vehicle, a speed controller connected to anaccelerator pedal would be provided to control the speed of the servicemotor M1 to control the speed of the vehicle. Also, a speed controllermay be provided for the drive motor M2 to control the speed at which itturns the alternator 16, thereby controlling the output power of thealternator 16.

In some embodiments, the drive motor M2 is an alternating current (AC)motor powered by a DC-to-AC inverter connected to the series-connectedbatteries B1 and B2 or the series-connected batteries B3 and B4.

In some embodiments, the voltage source 16 may be a generator.

In some embodiments, one or more of the relays may be replaced by powertransistor switches to perform the switching operations describedherein.

In some embodiments, the microcontroller 12 is a model PIC16F886manufactured by Microchip Technology Inc. In these embodiments, the pinconnections of the microcontroller 12 may be configured as depicted inFIGS. 4A and 4B.

In some embodiments, the microcontroller 12 is operable to sense whenmore power is needed by the service motor M1 than is available fromeither one of the first or second battery banks individually. This mayoccur, for example, when a high rate of acceleration is needed for ashort time for an electric vehicle to pass another vehicle on thehighway. In this situation, the microcontroller 12 may close the relaysRY1A, RY2A, RY1B, and RY2B, while opening the relays RY3A and RY4A,thereby powering the service motor with the parallel combination of thefirst and second battery banks.

In some embodiments, the microcontroller 12 is operable to sense when nopower is needed by the service motor M1, such as when the an electricvehicle is stopped at a red light or is parked. In this situation, themicrocontroller 12 may disconnect battery power completely from theservice motor M1 while continuing to alternately charge the first andsecond battery banks as necessary.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the microcontroller 12performs a system scan once a minute to detect errors in the system.During the scan, the microcontroller 12 activates a scan LED 34, whichis preferably blue.

Shown in FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a relay logic circuit of adual battery charging and discharging system according to a preferredembodiment.

FIGS. 6A and 6B depict a schematic diagram of a battery controller of adual battery charging and discharging system according to a preferredembodiment. With regard to FIGS. 6A and 6B:

-   -   All relays are normally open when not powered.    -   Relay RY1-X connects its respective battery bank into series 48V        and supplies run power.    -   Relay RY2-X connects its respective battery bank into series 48V        and supplies run power.    -   Relays RY1 and RY2 are mutually exclusive for the “on” state.        However. RY1 and RY2 may both be “off” simultaneously.    -   Relay RY3 connects its respective battery bank into parallel 24V        for charging.    -   Relay RY4 connects its respective battery bank into parallel 24V        for charging.    -   To set up charging circuit, the following are done in the listed        order:        -   Determine low battery, for example on the “B” side.        -   Pull and hold relay RY5. Delay a few seconds to let both 24V            stacks equalize.        -   Pull and hold relay RY7. The 24V stack is now ready for            charging, in this example on the “B” side only.    -   Relays RY9 and RY10 are mutually exclusive for the “on” state.        However, RY9 and RY10 may both be “off” simultaneously.    -   Relay RY0 enables the external charging circuit, and relay RY10        enables the internal charging circuit.

The foregoing description of preferred embodiments for this inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration and description. Theyare not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to theprecise form disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possiblein light of the above teachings. The embodiments are chosen anddescribed in an effort to provide the best illustrations of theprinciples of the invention and its practical application, and tothereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the inventionin various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited tothe particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variationsare within the scope of the invention as determined by the appendedclaims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they arefairly, legally, and equitably entitled.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for charging and dischargingbatteries comprising: a first battery bank comprising at least a firstbattery and a second battery; a second battery bank comprising at leasta third battery and a fourth battery; a first voltage sensing node formonitoring voltage of the first battery; a second voltage sensing nodefor monitoring voltage of the second battery; a third voltage sensingnode for monitoring voltage of the third battery; a fourth voltagesensing node for monitoring voltage of the fourth battery; a servicemotor for driving a load, wherein the service motor is operable toreceive power from one or more of the first battery bank and the secondbattery bank; an alternator operable to provide a charging voltage toone or more of the first battery bank and the second battery bank; adrive motor operable to drive the alternator to cause generation of thecharging voltage, wherein the drive motor is operable to receive powerfrom one or more of the first battery bank and the second battery bank;one or more first switches operable to selectively connect or disconnectthe first battery bank to or from the service motor, thereby providingpower to or removing power from the service motor; one or more secondswitches operable to selectively connect or disconnect the secondbattery bank to or from the service motor, thereby providing power to orremoving power from the service motor; one or more third switchesoperable to selectively connect or disconnect the first battery bank orthe second battery bank to or from the drive motor, thereby providingpower to or removing power from the drive motor; one or more fourthswitches operable to selectively connect the first battery bank to thealternator to receive the charging voltage and operable to selectivelydisconnect the second battery bank from the alternator; and the one ormore fourth switches operable to selectively connect the second batterybank to the alternator to receive the charging voltage and operable toselectively disconnect the first battery bank from the alternator; and amicrocontroller operable to monitor voltages on the first, second, thirdand fourth voltage sensing nodes, and to control one or more of thefirst, second, third and fourth switches based at least in part on thevoltages monitored.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: the one or morefirst switches are operable to connect the first and second batteries ofthe first battery bank in series when providing power to one or more ofthe service motor and the drive motor; the one or more second switchesare operable to connect the third and fourth batteries of the secondbattery bank in series when providing power to one or more of theservice motor and the drive motor; the one or more fourth switches areoperable to connect the first and second batteries of the first batterybank in parallel when receiving the charging voltage from thealternator; and the one or more fourth switches are operable to connectthe third and fourth batteries of the second battery bank in parallelwhen receiving the charging voltage from the alternator.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein one or more of the first, second, third andfourth switches comprise relays.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 furthercomprising a drive train mechanically coupled between the drive motorand the alternator, the drive train operable to increase a turning speedof the alternator relative to a turning speed of the drive motor.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 4 wherein the drive train is operable to increase theturning speed of the alternator relative to the turning speed of thedrive motor by at least a factor of six.
 6. The apparatus of claim 4wherein the drive train comprises one or more belts and pulleys.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 1 operable in a first mode wherein: the one or morefirst switches are configured to connect the first battery bank toprovide power to the service motor; the one or more second switches areconfigured to disconnect the second battery bank from the service motor;the one or more third switches are configured to connect the firstbattery bank to provide power to the drive motor; the one or more fourthswitches are configured to connect the second battery bank to thealternator to receive the charging voltage; and the one or more fourthswitches are configured to disconnect the first battery bank from thealternator.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1 operable in a second modewherein: the one or more first switches are configured to disconnect thefirst battery bank from the service motor; the one or more secondswitches are configured to connect the second battery bank to providepower to the service motor; the one or more third switches areconfigured to connect the second battery bank to provide power to thedrive motor; the one or more fourth switches are configured to connectthe first battery bank to the alternator to receive the chargingvoltage; and the one or more fourth switches are configured todisconnect the second battery bank from the alternator.
 9. The apparatusof claim 1 wherein: the first and second batteries comprise 12 voltbatteries; the third and fourth batteries comprise 12 volt batteries;the service motor comprises a 24 volt motor; the alternator provides acharging voltage of 12 volts; and the drive motor comprises a 24 voltmotor.
 10. A method for charging and discharging a first battery bankcomprising at least a first battery and a second battery and a secondbattery bank comprising at least a third battery and a fourth battery,wherein the first and second battery banks selectively provide power toa service motor that drives a load and to a drive motor that drives avoltage source to cause generation of a charging voltage, wherein thefirst and second battery banks selectively receive the charging voltagefrom the voltage source, the method comprising: (a) connecting the firstbattery bank to the service motor to provide power to the service motor;(b) monitoring a voltage of one or more of the first and secondbatteries of the first battery bank; (c) after the voltage of one ormore of the first and second batteries of the first battery bank dropsto or below a first threshold voltage, operating one or more of aplurality of switches to (c1) disconnecting one or more of the first andsecond batteries of the first battery bank from the service motor, (c2)connect one or more of the third and fourth batteries of the secondbattery bank to the service motor and the drive motor to provide powerto the service motor and the drive motor, (c3) connect one or more ofthe first and second batteries of the first battery bank to the voltagesource to receive the charging voltage, and (c4) charge one or more ofthe first and second batteries of the first battery bank, (d) after thevoltage of one or more of the first and second batteries of the firstbattery bank reaches or rises above a second threshold voltage,operating one or more of the plurality of switches to disconnect one ormore of the first and second batteries of the first battery bank fromthe voltage source; (e) monitoring a voltage of one or more of the thirdand fourth batteries of the second battery bank; (f) after the voltageof one or more of the third and fourth batteries of the second batterybank drops to or below the first threshold voltage, operating one ormore of the plurality of switches to (f1) disconnect one or more of thethird and fourth batteries of the second battery bank from the servicemotor, (f2) connect one or more of the first and second batteries of thefirst battery bank to the service motor and the drive motor to providepower to the service motor and drive motor, (f3) connect one or more ofthe third and fourth batteries of the second battery bank to the voltagesource to receive the charging voltage; and (f4) charge one or more ofthe third and fourth batteries of the second battery bank, and (g) afterthe voltage of one or more of the third and fourth batteries of thesecond battery bank rises to or above the second threshold voltage,operating one or more of the plurality of switches to disconnect one ormore of the third and fourth batteries of the second battery bank fromthe voltage source.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein step (c3) furthercomprises operating one or more of the plurality of switches to connectthe first and second batteries of the first battery bank in parallel,and step (f3) further comprises operating one or more of the pluralityof switches to connect the third and fourth batteries of the secondbattery bank in parallel.
 12. The method of claim 10 wherein steps (a)and (f2) further comprise operating one or more of the plurality ofswitches to connect the first and second batteries of the first batterybank in series, and step (c2) further comprises operating one or more ofthe plurality of switches to connect the first and second batteries ofthe second battery bank in series.
 13. The method of claim 10 whereinthe voltage source is an alternator.
 14. An apparatus for charging anddischarging batteries comprising: a first battery bank comprising atleast a first battery and a second battery; a second battery bankcomprising at least a third battery and a fourth battery; a servicemotor for driving a load, wherein the service motor is operable toreceive power from one or more of the first battery bank and the secondbattery bank; a voltage source operable to provide a charging voltage toone or more of the first battery bank and the second battery bank; adrive motor operable to drive the voltage source to cause generation ofthe charging voltage, wherein the drive motor is operable to receivepower from one or more of the first battery bank and the second batterybank; a drive train mechanically coupled between the drive motor and thevoltage source, the drive train operable to increase a turning speed ofthe voltage source relative to a turning speed of the drive motor; oneor more switches operable to selectively connect or disconnect the firstbattery bank or the second battery bank to or from the service motor toprovide power to or remove power from the service motor, selectivelyconnect or disconnect the first battery bank or the second battery bankto or from the drive motor to provide power to or remove power from thedrive motor, selectively connect the first battery bank to the voltagesource to receive the charging voltage and selectively disconnect thesecond battery bank from the voltage source, and selectively connect thesecond battery bank to the voltage source to receive the chargingvoltage and selectively disconnect the first battery bank from thevoltage source; and a microcontroller operable to monitor voltages ofthe first, second, third, and fourth batteries, and control the one ormore switches based at least in part on the voltages monitored.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 14 wherein the drive train is operable to increasethe turning speed of the voltage source relative to the turning speed ofthe drive motor by at least a factor of six.
 16. An apparatus forcharging and discharging batteries while providing power to anelectrical load, the apparatus comprising: a first battery bankcomprising at least a first battery and a second battery; a secondbattery bank comprising at least a third battery and a fourth battery; avoltage source operable to provide a charging voltage to one or more ofthe first battery bank and the second battery bank; a drive motoroperable to drive the voltage source to cause generation of the chargingvoltage, wherein the drive motor is operable to receive power from oneor more of the first battery bank and the second battery bank; one ormore first switches operable to selectively connect or disconnect thefirst battery bank to or from the electrical load, thereby providingpower to or removing power from the electrical load; one or more secondswitches operable to selectively connect or disconnect the secondbattery bank to or from the electrical load, thereby providing power toor removing power from the electrical load; one or more third switchesoperable to selectively connect or disconnect the first battery bank orthe second battery bank to or from the drive motor, thereby providingpower to or removing power from the drive motor; one or more fourthswitches operable to selectively connect the first battery bank to thevoltage source to receive the charging voltage and operable toselectively disconnect the second battery bank from the voltage source;the one or more fourth switches operable to selectively connect thesecond battery bank to the voltage source to receive the chargingvoltage and operable to selectively disconnect the first battery bankfrom the voltage source; and a microcontroller operable to monitorvoltages of the first, second, third, and fourth batteries, and controlone or more of the first, second, third, and fourth switches based atleast in part on the voltages monitored.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16wherein the electrical load is selected from the group consisting of anelectric motor driving a transmission of an electric vehicle, anelectric motor driving a propeller, electrical lighting, electroniccomponents, and electrical appliances.